Irish Symbols for Tattoos

Irish culture has a long and deep history that has been passed down through many generations in the form of pictorial representations. There are hundreds of Irish symbols for tattoos that one can choose from in order to pay homage to this history.

Rahul Thadani

Last Updated: Jan 17, 2018

Symbolic Irish body art is a great way of displaying one's heritage, and as a result, they have gained a lot of prominence recently. Tattoos and symbolism have shared a deep intertwined history with each other, and over the course of time they have come to be synonymous with each other. Texts and drawings will always be a firm favorite amongst tattoo lovers, but symbolism represents a deeper understanding of this artistic expression.

Celtic art and culture has a lot of folklore and myths entrenched in it, and this has provided a very large base to choose from for those who are interested in it. A lot of variations can be applied to Irish symbol tattoos, and this has aided in the rapid growth of popularity of these mystical designs.

Celtic Irish Designs

Celtic Cross

Celtic Tree of Life

Shamrock Branch

Celtic Heart Pattern

Lizards Symbol

Irish Sun Symbol

Celtic Flower

Circular Knot

Clover Flower

Cross Knot Pattern

Elongated Knot Pattern

Four Knot Pattern

Square Celtic Knot

Heraldry Eagle

The Celtic knot is one of the most captivating designs that one can find. These intricate and seemingly endless patterns can be formed to mean anything that the individual desires. Different shapes represent different ideologies, and a minor alteration here and there can change its entire meaning. Apart from the obvious symbolism of these symbols, these designs are very pretty in appearance and can hold one's attention for a relatively long period of time.

Religious and patriotic sentiments can also be represented by most symbols, as the Irish culture passed down most of their heritage and history on an oral and pictorial basis. The Celts were an extremely superstitious lot, but this never got in the way of them possessing detailed knowledge about astronomy and highly intricate philosophical teachings. There are very little written records of the Celts before they got in contact with the Greeks and the Romans, and this has added to the alluring nature of the Irish Celtic symbols that they have passed down through the generations.

The early generations of the Celts focused a lot on displaying their art and designs on the many metallic objects that they used. Almost all their weapons, jewelry, pots, and figurines carried some intricate patterns that have now become popular as Irish symbol tattoos. A lot of these designs were laced with entangled patterns, spirals, elaborate Celtic knotwork, color, and visible animal zoomorphic. Modern-day symbols have taken a lot of their ideas from these engravings and have given them to the world.

There is a multitude of Irish symbols that can be used as body art designs, and none of them are more popular in a patriotic sense than the Irish flag. It contains three colors in equal vertical bands, and each of these colors signifies something relevant to the history of the culture. There has been a rapid rise in the popularity of this design recently, and this is a great way of displaying one's love for the country and its culture.

Irish designs make use of a lot of mythical characters like leprechauns and dragons. Celtic harp, the tree of life, clover, shamrock, and Celtic motherhood tattoos are some of the designs that this culture has embraced over the centuries. Irish cross and Claddagh designs are also extremely popular and carry a lot of symbolic expressions with them. All these designs can be altered by any individual to express their personal opinion on the subject, so there is a lot of originality seen in them.

The idea behind a body art is to express something that is on one's mind and that one has firm faith in. Going back to the history and heritage of one's culture is a very personalized way of displaying one's territorial sense. As a result of this, Irish tattoos will always continue to be a firm favorite in the minds of people not just looking for an attractive design, but for those who wish to pay a tribute to their Irish roots as well.